Chapter 401 The Reporter’s Trap

Chapter 401: Chapter 401 The Reporter’s Trap

Irene could not help but secretly ponder the trajectory of fate.

In this life, the two of them were tied to a top-tier blockbuster IP in advance, reaching the pinnacle of Hollywood’s new generation in terms of popularity.

Years later, would Marvel still be able to successfully cast them as Captain America and Black Widow?

Would the originally established Marvel Cinematic Universe be completely derailed from its original path because of this early pairing in Transformers?

Many thoughts swirled in her mind, but Irene quickly sobered up and collected her stray thoughts.

Previously, at the Paramount meeting, she had explicitly and publicly handed over full authority for casting the male and female leads to Paramount, relinquishing core casting power just to maintain the cooperative relationship and trade for the military captain role for her friend, Hilary Swank.

A promise is a promise, and on a film set, roles and responsibilities must be clear.

Since she had voluntarily relinquished power, no matter how unexpected the actors Paramount chose were, she would not publicly refute them or make changes in private.

Moreover, Irene was very clear in her mind that the core box office foundation, the focus of the camera, and the main storyline of the entire Transformers movie never belonged to the human actors.

The Transformers mechs, led by Optimus Prime and Megatron, were the absolute protagonists.

All the humans were merely tool-like supporting roles used to connect the plot and serve as conduits for audience empathy.

Whether it was Chris or Scarlett, as long as their acting was suitable and their looks were enough to carry the youthful scenes, that was sufficient; it would not affect the quality of the finished film at all.

Having figured this out, Irene completely let go of her worries.

She replied email, approving the entire cast, and cooperated with Paramount to prepare for the offline launch press conference.

Three days later, the open-air press conference plaza at the Paramount headquarters in Hollywood was set up.

Mainstream American entertainment media, film bloggers, and theater reporters gathered at the scene.

The venue was densely packed with camera equipment, and flashes flickered incessantly.

All the creators attended this Transformers launch press conference: Irene, male lead Chris Evans, female lead Scarlett Johansson, military captain Hilary Swank, the President of Distribution at Paramount, and Robert from Echo Pictures were all present.

The 23-year-old Chris was dressed in a casual suit, looking sunny and appropriate, facing the cameras with composure and grace.

The 19-year-old Scarlett was at the peak of her beauty, appearing confident and generous.

Hilary’s aura was steady and capable, her Best Actress temperament overwhelming the entire venue.

This combination of the new generation and seasoned talent triggered a frenzy of camera shutters the moment they appeared.

The press conference proceeded steadily.

The creators introduced themselves one by one, sharing their understanding of the roles and expectations for filming.

The atmosphere was calm and orderly.

It was not until the Q&A session for freelance reporters that a reporter from Hollywood Entertainment Weekly stood up and precisely threw out a pre-set, trap-laden question, pointing directly at the recent hot-button industry scheduling incident.

"Hello, Irene. As is well known in the industry, Universal Pictures’ The Bourne Supremacy was originally scheduled to be released one week before Pirates of the Caribbean 2, but was later temporarily moved to November.

There is a widespread rumor in the industry that Echo Pictures, in league with Fox and Disney, aggressively squeezed Universal’s schedule and deliberately forced out a competitor.

As a co-producer of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and while holding a top-tier new project like Transformers, what is your take on this? The outside world says that Echo Pictures is pushing step by step and stepping on Universal to climb to the top. Do you agree with this statement?"

Once the question was out, the venue went silent instantly.

All cameras turned in unison toward Irene in the main seat, clearly intending to provoke a conflict between the major studios and create an industry headline.

Robert’s expression tightened slightly, and he subconsciously prepared to intervene, but Irene looked calm, sitting with composure, not a trace of panic in her eyes.

She saw through the reporter’s intention to lay a trap and stir up conflict at a glance.

She picked up the microphone, her tone calm and clear, her wording airtight, perfectly handling the public opinion trap.

"First of all, theater release schedules have never been the private property of any single company. All studios setting or changing release dates do so based on business judgments regarding their own project revenue, audience suitability, and summer market data.

These are all internal decisions made by Universal’s Marketing Department after their own deliberations. Echo Pictures has never actively intervened in or pressured the decisions of any major studio."

"Secondly, the film industry is never a zero-sum game. We focus on polishing the content of our films and respect every film shown on the screen.

The Bourne Supremacy has excellent word-of-mouth and is well-produced; the move to the autumn/winter season was to suit its own suspenseful tone, not because it was afraid to compete with us.

I think Universal made this decision out of its own interests as well. There is actually no need for the outside world to over-interpret the competition as a conflict."

With a gentle touch, she neutralized the tricky question, neither admitting to suppressing competitors nor showing weakness or compromising.

She maintained Echo Pictures’ reputation without offending Universal’s senior management.

The reporters at the scene had no way to grasp any negative soundbites.

As her voice fell, Irene took the opportunity to change the subject, pulling the audience’s attention back to the project itself.

She looked at the three leads beside her, her eyes revealing a gentle smile.

"Currently, I will focus all my energy on the filming of Transformers. I am very much looking forward to an in-depth collaboration with the three actors, Chris, Scarlett, and Hilary.

The three of them have distinct styles, acting traits that fit their roles, and unique temperaments. This version of Transformers will break out of the inherent animation remake routine, balancing human empathy and mecha special effects. I will bring global audiences a world of Transformers that completely subverts perceptions and has a brand-new texture."

The rhetoric was perfectly closed, and the press conference ended smoothly.

The next day, all entertainment press releases across the internet were positive, with no negative public opinion fermenting.

Backstage after the press conference, Chris took the initiative to step forward and reach out, his attitude sincere.

"Irene, collaborating again after half a year, I will definitely polish my acting skills and complete the role of Sam well."

Scarlett also raised her eyes to look at Irene, her eyes carrying the ambition of a young artist.

"I really cherish this opportunity for a top-tier blockbuster and will cooperate with the crew for special training and action rehearsals at any time."

Irene responded to each of them, feeling more and more emotional as she watched the two future top stars of Marvel gathered in the crew before her.

Most of the crowd at the press conference dispersed, and the media left one after another.

The creative team went to the backstage lounge to rest.

Scarlett deliberately slowed her pace, avoiding her assistants and accompanying staff, walked to the side of the corridor alone, and took the initiative to stop Irene, who was preparing to return to the lounge.

Shedding the mature aura she had deliberately displayed in front of the press conference cameras, the 19-year-old Scarlett lost her edge and gained a bit of the prudence and clarity of a new-generation artist.

She leaned against the light-colored wall of the corridor and spoke directly and frankly about all her thoughts when she accepted the role of Mikaela.

"Irene, actually, before deciding to sign on to play Mikaela, I pondered for a long time and specifically talked to Sophia for a long time." Scarlett’s tone was serious, without any of the impatience of a young artist.

"There are many Hollywood blockbusters looking for me, but the vast majority of female roles in commercial films are vases that exist only to attach themselves to the male lead, responsible for enhancing beauty and providing emotional embellishment. They have no independent ability, no stance of their own, and follow the male lead’s rhythm throughout, having no say at all."

"But the Mikaela you wrote is completely different. She is proficient in mechanics, decisive, and wild. In times of danger, she can break out of encirclement side-by-side with Sam and is an equal partner who fights against the Decepticons together.

She does not rely on the male lead’s protection and has independent combat capabilities. This kind of commercial film heroine who is not ’love-brained,’ does not attach herself to men, and has equal ability is rare to find in current Hollywood new generation scripts.

It was precisely because of this scarcity of the role that I specifically visited Sophia, listened to her professional advice, and finally made up my mind to sign on to this film."